Featuring Reviews of Triangle Area Restaurants, and Food and Drink Recommendations!

Thai Villa in Raleigh

I’ve probably driven by this place a hundred times, and never noticed it before. You can see it from Hwy 1/64 if you look quickly, but it’s not really visible from Buck Jones Rd. It’s in the building between Motel 6 and Grand Asia Market. I was in the mood for Thai, and figured it was about time I tried something new.

Thai Ice Tea

The restaurant is a small room at the end of a large brick building. It probably seats about 50 or so, though during lunch while I was there I think there were only about 12 people. The furniture and decor were rather cheap, but at least it seemed clean enough. The service was quick, and I got some water and a Thai Ice Tea right away.

Curry Puff

I checked out the specials, and the Curry Puffs that were featured looked pretty good. From the description, they sounded a lot like the Thai version of samosas. I also got a cup of the Tom Kha soup with chicken, and the red curry with pork, 2 on a scale of 3 pepper spiciness. My husband ordered the mussaman curry with chicken, 1 on a scale of 3 pepper spiciness. Nearly all of their entrees came in a lunch portion which was smaller than the dinner portion, except the chef’s specials. Since it was lunch time, we both ordered the lunch portions.

Tom Kha Soup

The Tom Kha soup had a mild spiciness level. This Tom Kha was unlike many I’ve had before, in that it contained huge chunks of chicken and nothing else. No mushrooms, no bamboo shoots. My husband was happy about that, but I was disappointed. I really loved the broth though, it was so soothing.

The curry puffs came out looking more like a pasty than a samosa, since it had a thick, flaky crust like a small half-circle pie. The inside was definitely like a samosa though, with a lightly spiced mix of potato and other things. We weren’t given any option on the spiciness, but it had a good flavor even though it lacked bite.

Red Curry With Pork

The entrees were brought out before we even finished the curry puffs. HUGE chunks of meat. I’m sure any carnivore would love this Thai restaurant. But unfortunately, I actually like veggies, too. I was looking at my husband’s dish with the huge chunks of carrots, potatoes and onions, and I was disappointed all I had were bamboo shoots. They could have added some red bell pepper slices or onions in my red curry for some variation in texture or color. The flavor was good, but even at a 2 out of 3, still seemed a bit mild to me. If I order entrees here in the future, I think I’d go for a 3.

Mussamun Curry with Chicken

My husband’s mussaman curry was loaded up with meat as well. I tasted some of the curry sauce in his, and it was too mild for my taste. You couldn’t even tell if they had added any spice to it. The flavor was still good though. It had a rich, creamy, nutty flavor to it.

The lunch portions seemed really good to me. My husband was able to finish all of his, but I had enough for leftovers the next day.

It’s a good restaurant overall, and I did like the food well enough. But I think they should really consider adding some more texture in their dishes. One of the main reasons I like Thai food is because of the amazing texture- the crispness of fresh bean sprouts, the crunchiness of cashews and peanuts, the softness of the mushrooms, the chewiness of the noodles, the graininess of the bamboo shoots. A dish that’s just meat and broth is a bit boring to me. Maybe I just ordered the wrong dish. Perhaps I’ll try the Pad Thai next time and see if it’s more to my liking.